CLCS Board Of Education Talks Tax Cap, Regional High School

October 19, 2012

MAYVILLE - During a focused discussion about future school district budgets, members of the Chautauqua Lake Central School Board of Education say the state's 2 percent tax cap helps ensure voter approval.

"There's just a weariness out there with taxes, especially in New York," board Vice President Jay Baker said. "People out there just see all these taxes."

"I would suggest we keep the tax cap," board member Timothy Hill said.

He explained future budgets should be designed to strictly limit property tax increases at 2 percent or less.

As in previous sessions, members agreed the state Legislature must soon deal with consolidation among small, mostly rural school districts. Chautauqua Lake and other upstate school districts have expressed unhappiness with the state Assembly's refusal earlier this year to even consider legislation for so-called regional schools.

Chautauqua Lake employs 84 teachers, 16 fewer than seven years ago. However, the district's student population this September declined to less than 800 for the first time in the school's history. Other local districts also have smaller student populations. Under a regional high school the idea is class sizes could be increased at little or no extra cost while taxpayers would be freed from the burden of fixed costs caused by too many schools serving too few students.

In other business the board approved presentation of the musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," but not without a discussion about Dorcas, the name of one of the brides' names in the script.

Board member Michael Ludwig believes the name will be a "distraction" when the musical is presented March 8-9, 2013. Ludwig thinks the "dorc" in Dorcas will be an unintended laugh line.